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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22571038">Our Mutual Friend</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/InvisibleSupernova/pseuds/InvisibleSupernova'>InvisibleSupernova</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Destiny (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Drabble, Gen, Mostly talking, mild violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 09:42:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,489</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22571038</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/InvisibleSupernova/pseuds/InvisibleSupernova</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ikora summons an old ally to talk about the vanguard champion, who she fears might be going down a dark path</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Our Mutual Friend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cold air rushed in as the man opened the door and hurried inside, fighting a losing battle against the snow. A thin layer had settled on the floor by the time he’d managed to close the door, and more fell as he started brushing it off his cloak, eager to get it off before it would start melting.</p>
<p>
	The bars occupants had turned towards the stranger as he entered, but soon returned to their food and drinks and eager conversations. Only two continued keeping an eye on him. One was the barkeeper, absently polishing a glass that already looked clean.
As he caught the man's eye he raised an eyebrow, gesturing with his elbow towards the tap. The man hesitated for a moment, then nodded, not changing his expression. By the time he’d reached the bar, the glass was full, and the innkeeper had found another one to polish.
From one of his many pockets, the man produced a handful of glimmer, nodding once more before taking his ale and wandering over to the other person who was still keeping an eye on him. </p><p>
The bar was loud and crowded, people laughing, chairs scraping against the floor, jugs and fists hitting the tables. So it wouldn’t have been hard to miss the woman sitting in the corner, shadows covering half her face. The truth was, she would have blended in just as well in daylight, standing in the middle of the city square. But only the man walking towards her knew that.
He sat down in front of her, and they enjoyed a few seconds of silence, the man sipping his bear, before the woman started speaking.</p>
<p>
“You’re a hard man to find these days, Shiro.”</p>
<p>
“Sure didn’t stop you.”</p>
<p>
“You expected it to?”</p>
<p>
“Not really.” He took a long sip of his bear before putting it down, sighing. He sounded tired once he spoke again.</p>
<p>
“So what does the Vanguard need me for this time?”</p>
<p>
“I’m not here as the Vanguard represent today-”</p>
<p>
“Then why am I here? You know I’m not interested in being one of your hidden.”</p>
<p>
“Nor would you be a good fit.”  She replied. If she was annoyed at being interrupted, she didn’t show it. For a moment she stayed quiet, eyeing him, before continuing.<br/>
“I’m here about our mutual friend.”</p>
<p>
“The Guardian.” He said, nodding appreciatively. </p>
<p>
“You’ve spoken to her recently?”</p>
<p>
“Yes?”</p>
<p>
“She seemed well to you?”</p>
<p>
“Tired, as expected, you sure put her on the frontlines a lot.”</p>
<p>
“She’s the best we have.”</p>
<p>
“No need to tell me that.”</p>
<p>
“I know.”</p>
<p>
For a moment they fell silent, and the man called Shiro stared disappointedly into his empty glass, setting it down again. The woman raised an eyebrow, before catching the eye of the barkeeper, nodding towards his empty glass. A moment later, the barkeeper had made his way to their table, swiftly replacing his empty glass with a full one. Shiro stared at it for a moment, not touching it, before looking up again.</p>
<p>
“That all you wanted to ask?”</p>
<p>
“When she spoke with you, did she seem… different? Colder?”</p>
<p>
“Not that I noticed”</p>
<p>
The Woman nodded once, growing quiet again.</p>
<p>
“Ikora, what’s really going on here?”</p>
<p>
“Nothing, probably.” She tapped her fingers on the table a few times before continuing. “But keep an eye on her, will you? I fear she’s slipping away from us”</p>
<p>
“She’s a hunter, it’s what we do.”</p>
<p>
“Slipping from the <em>light<em>.”</em></em></p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“What makes you think that?”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“Just keep an eye on her, will you?”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“Ikora you gotta give me something more if you’re asking me to spy on a friend.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“I’m not asking you to spy, just… make sure she’s okay. These have been trying times for all of us.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“Especially for the Vanguard. You sure this isn’t political? It sure would look bad if the your champion were to switch sides.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“I would look bad,” the woman agreed, nodding, “but I’m her friend too Shiro, and I don’t want to see her suffer. She been avoiding vanguard activities, going out on her own without a fireteam, and the only times she’s in the tower she down in the annex, picking up gambit bounties and helping him with whatever he needs at the moment.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“I thought they fell out when she started helping Aunor?”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“They did, but something changed.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
At this the man fell quiet, seeming casually weighing back on his chair. Those who
looked closer however,  would see his tense shoulders, and eyes fixed at the ceiling, deep in though. The woman leaned back as well, pulling out a tablet from her robe, frowning as she looked at the screen. </em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“I need to get back,” she said, getting up from her chair and making her way around the table, stopping next to him.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“I know you don’t want to do this, and I know I can’t make you, but if she ends up going rogue the Vanguard will need to handle it, and I don’t think either of us want that.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“She’s always done the right thing before.” He said, turning in his chair to face her. “She’ll do it again”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
The woman was quiet for a long time, and when she did answer, she sounded tired.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“By the Traveller, I hope you’re right.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
And with that, she turned away, walking up to the bar and paying, before braving the cold again. The man was left alone at the table, beer untouched, no longer bothering to hide the worry from his face.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>

Outside the bar night had fallen, but the darkness was kept at bay by street lights and neon signs, lighting up the snow. The woman, unbothered by the cold, didn’t bother closing her outer robe or putting on gloves. Instead she walked away from the crowd to the ally behind the bar, where the snow piled higher, and the shadows were darker. 
Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she said:</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
	“Don’t you have better things to do?”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
	A man emerged from the shadows, wearing thick spiked pauldrons covered with a thin layer of snow, and a green ribbon tied around his head. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were as cold as hers. Ignoring her question, he answered:</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
	“She came running back all on her own, you know.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
	The woman raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. The man, clearly well aware of that, produced a green coin from his sleeve and started playing with it, letting it travel across his knuckles, before looking back at her.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
	“I know what you’re thinking, surely old Drifter must have had his hand in it somehow, but no! I’m just as surprised as you are! As a rule, I try to avoid making friends with snitches, you can’t trust their loyalty, you see.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
	“If she’s so untrustworthy, why use her in your schemes at all?”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
	His smile widened.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
	“Because she’s the best there is.” he said, echoing her conversation from earlier.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
Barley had he finished the sentence, before the woman had one hand at his throat, void light swerling ominously in the other.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
	“Woah there, easy sister, I thought we had a deal.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
	“The Vanguard has a deal, but, as you heard, the Vanguard isn’t here tonight.” She tightened her hand around his neck. “Now, I have more pressing matters to deal with than eavesdroppers who cowers in the shadows, so if you have something to say, say it now” </em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
	His eyes were cold when he answered, meeting her hard stare, but his voice still carried traces of mirth, traces of victory.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
	“You ever meet the man with the golden gun?”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
	“What’s Malphur got to do with this?”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
	“Well, next time you see, you might want to ask what he’s been whispering in her ear, just saying.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
	“I don’t have time for your games, Drifter” </em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“The other piece in this puzzle,” he went on, ignoring her question, “is you.” 
Here his smile disappeared, his face growing serious.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“She’s already lost trust in the Vanguard as a whole, don’t drive her away from you too. She’s the best we have,” he repeated, “humanity needs her, and she needs to be able to trust her friends.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“Don’t pretend you care about her anymore than what she can do for you.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“I sure seem to care more than you lot.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
For a moment, it looked like she’d end him right then and there, arm tense and void light hungry, but then she stepped away, releasing him, hiding her anger.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“I don’t have time for this” </em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
With a wave of her hand she brought out her ghost, it’s eye as cold as hers, floating above her hand.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
“This conversation isn’t over.” </em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>
And with those last words, she transmatted away, the snow quickly covering up her footprints. The only trace left of what’d happened was the man, slowly massaging his throat. A ghost popped up, looking at him, but he shook his head, eyes lost in thought.</em>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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